


Torchwood's Spark

by AwatereJones



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe - Space, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:54:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 20,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27867210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwatereJones/pseuds/AwatereJones
Summary: So let's have a nice space adventure eh? Jack and Ianto are both single fathers in a world where a family is allowed two kids but single parents are frowned at. Owen thinks if they get together they can have two kids, keep their kids and maybe fall in love. Ianto and Jack are not so sure. Thro in some danger and action and we have another story. Love my Crumbly and you too xxx
Relationships: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, Owen Harper/Toshiko Sato
Comments: 62
Kudos: 64





	1. Chapter 1

"I don't think this is a good idea" Ianto said for the umpteenth time as he let Owen lead him across the room with that look of glee one would associate a rat with apiece of cheese might wear.

"JACK!"

The most handsome men Ianto had ever seen turned to look at Owen, smiling as he stepped forward to greet him like Ianto did not exist. Great start. Ianto frowned as he stared at the man's shoes, then at Owen's before he started to step away only to have Owen seize him by the arm.

"This is Ianto. He has a kid. Mother gone and such so he's being pressured to giving his kid up to the collective." Owen blurted out and Ianto found himself staring a hole into Owen's temple as he tried not to lamp him one for the terrible outburst. He felt the slight shift underfoot as the vessel turned to port, something no one else probably felt but he was in tune with this vessel and her flight.

Owen then turned to Ianto "Jack has the same problem. His wife is dead, she left no family and he is being pressured to give his daughter to the collective as well. As you know, being a single parent in this regime sucks the big one and as you are both men the natural assumption is that you will give your kids up and go back into service… right?"

Ianto blinked slowly.

Jack took a deep breath and then asked "Ianto? Do you have family?"

"Yes but my sister has the allowed two children already" Ianto answered calmly.

"See? If you two marry you will have the authorised two kids, not be forced to go back and remarry plus keep your kids. You can't go into service if you are wed, right? A perfect solution. Like… roommates with benefits." Owen said happily.

Ianto looked at Jack who seemed to be considering the weird suggestion.

One of the riskiest things a man can be in this world is a single father. The Collective is like an orphanage tht takes the children of single parents. Especially men. Women are considered more likely to have a second child, to maybe marry a single father and combine for the two child limit. That pesky two child limit imposed since the planet became too small… now they float around in this tin can that is supposed to mimic being a cruise liner only… it sucks and the Collective controls everything.

"Captain Jack Harkness, retired Jump Pilot" Jack held out his hand to look at a potential co-conspirator.

"First Lieutenant Ianto Jones, retired Freighter Pilot" Ianto replied calmly, his hand sliding into Jack's before Jack registered the fact he was in the presence of a man who has flown bigger birds than him. And was a higher rank.

"See? You two are both fliers!" Owen said with a slap to each man's arm "Match made in … well… space."

"Er… wanna go somewhere and talk?" Jack asked now interested as he saw the man's eyes taking him in with an intelligence borne of a hard life.

They found a seat in a quiet corner and Jack told Ianto about himself fort. As in all things, Jack ws a leader "My wife died in service about… two years ago. My daughter Alice if five and now she is of age to begin training to serve as well the Collective are rattling their tins to get her taken into their system declaring me as an available male for service again. I can't go back to that… I suffered some retinal damage to my left eye and I can no longer fly the small vessels. I need a co-pilot to help watch the gauges. If Alice goes I will be forced to be a greaser or a Skin Walker."

_A Skin Walker… someone who works between the inner and outer hulls, tracking leaks in the skin and patching this big floating bitch. Dangerous and some have been lost out of breach holes… no. Some things can get in too. Space is not as lonely as you would think… oh no … even in space… there are monsters. Someone with limited vision in one eye certainly cannot take that risky job._

"Well… my wife is gone too. My son Thomas is four. I am also being pressured back into service but Thomas has some cognitive problems and I know the Collective will place him in the Farm." Ianto said as honestly as he could, noting the fact Jack did not grimace at the mention of the Farm … an asylum where they place those not of worth due to a deficiency who sooner or later become expendable as first steppers.

_A First Stepper is a group sent to a new planet to check if it is OK for life. Of course… they almost never come back. Fodder. Like I said before… there be monsters._

"Shit" Jack blurted then cleared his throat as he saw that not only would Ianto be a willing accomplice to this but he had more need of this … arrangement. "So… should we do it?"

"One question" Ianto asked as he leaned in and looked at Jack with rapt attention "Do you whistle?"

"Why… no. I don't whistle." Jack answered with confusion. He didn't whistle as anyone worth their salt knows it is bad luck to whistle on a boat. Calls in the storm. Not that anyone seems to believe these superstitions these days.

"My father always whistled. I can't stand it" Ianto said as he settled back in his chair and Jack fought the urge to laugh. "Besides … Bad luck ya know."

What a strange cat.

But interesting one none the less.

Jack looked closer and wondered if this was another Sol3 bloodline.


	2. getting to know ya

They were on a date. The second one now. The first public one since their arranged meeting at Owen's insistence. They decided to class the first meeting to finalize their plans at dinner as the first one, it was in public after all. A very public display of togetherness as they started their campaign to become a bonded pair with the allowed two children to maintain a family berth and their current positions in the service as On Board Crew.

Date number two was also an evening meal, this time in a more visible part of the dining room.

"So… what do you do now?" Jack asked as he took a sip of hypervodka.

"Archives and commissary" Ianto replied "If you need fresh socks, com see me."

Jack grinned "I am in the flight pool, I maintain the birds now that I can't fly them."

"Still in the same circle of people, good friends still active in your life" Ianto took a sip of his own hypervodka "So … how will we work this?"

"Well… we approach and request a marriage certificate, quietly wed and move into full family quarters then… cohabit" Jack shrugged.

"Well… maybe the kids need to meet first. This will not work if they clash" Ianto said after considering and Jack agreed.

.

.

..

Alice was watching the little boy who was in a world of his own as he examined the toy she had handed him. As pale as she was, he was dark. Her blue eyes looked into his brown ones and she smiled as he liked at her with the wide eyes of an innocent little one.

Then she leaned in to cuddle him and Ianto let out his breath with relief. OK. Major hurdle over. They were in the main room and Ianto was aware of the stares as people passed them, pretending not to see as more than one did a double take at the handsome man sitting with him filling the entire space with his sex appeal. Ianto was silently panicking as he knew more than one was thinking 'why him?'

What Ianto didn't know is that Jack was thinking the same thing.

Sitting there watching the polite man with that regal way about him, such a man of breeding, honor. What the hell would they have in common? This sex appeal in a suit might realize somewhere along the line that Jack is a savage.

Speaking of suits…. Jack was very taken with Ianto's attire. Jack still wore the things that gave away his flight experience. The blue uniform with white button up and the large coat to cover it all when not on the bird. Gets hot in those little things and stepping to of one into a space freighter is a cruel shock to the system so they developed these large thick coats called a Great Coat based on some historic outfit for something. Jack still dressed this way, his Great Coat a part of him. His security blanket.

Ianto on the other hand… he wore the garb of one used to being on the bridge of a star liner or huge space freighter that Jack used to dock in the belly of. His uniform black with a white shirt, the jacket matching the trousers and to Jacks extreme interest Ianto wore a waistcoat that was optional. Ianto had things in the pockets that eluded to the fact he was also a techie with little gadgets to help with the computers in the vessel. He had already seen him slip out a little gadget while they walked the corridors and check something, then quietly tell another member who got a maintenance team onto whatever it was with serious faces. He didn't draw attention to himself but at the same time, Jack was drawn to his silent brooding and straight back.

Not his usual type, not rough, not brash or crass, no … Ianto was… something else.

"Right, the Berth available is of course a three room. The rare four rooms can only be for those with an elderly parent so... no way we can swing one" Jack was speaking softly as he fiddled with some toys with his daughter, Ianto grunting to show he was listening "So… how do we sort the sleeping arrangements?"

Ianto was surprised by this question and had not even thought about it. Now seeing it was a major thing. "Er… I ensure two beds in Tommy's room. I will say for the transition period I need to sleep in there with him occasionally... night terrors. He has had them on and off since his mother was taken."

"That will work" Jack nodded his agreement "Seems unfair that I get the big bed… maybe we can …"

"He will need me to transition. That part is true. He has a medical history of night terrors so it will be easier to sell. I do not mind… if it means keeping him I will sleep in the same bloody bed as him" Ianto hissed under his breath "don't worry about me!"

Dedicated.


	3. early days

Ianto was not sure if this was going to work out.

Jack was not what he was used to at all in a flatmate. Don't get me wrong, Ianto has shared domiciles before, in the service you had to but Jack was… not like a man of the service.

Ianto's things were all carefully laid out, a place for everything and everything in it's place.

Jack was like a bomb going off, dropping things on the floor, shoving them in the nearest hole and apparently having no regard for any sense of order. It drove Ianto mad. He knew he would have to adjust, everything was about adjustments now and for the sake of his child… both their children… they had to suck it up and make it work. Right?

The other problem was the child. Alice. She was like her father. Loud, brash and .. well… droppy.

Ianto spent a lot of time walking behind her scooping up dropped toys, clothes, food… argh the food! Ianto made sure Tommy sat and ate at the little table. Alice ran about like a bloody animal. Still… she was a lovely little wild thing, full of laughter and light. Tommy was starting to respond to her, something that was a relief to Ianto who had worried about the two kids together, the real problem if there was a clash but clearly… they liked one another.

This might work.

Ianto just has to learn to accept this change.

.

.

..

Jack was not sure if this was going to work out.

Ianto was not what he wss used to at all in a flatmate. Don't' get me wrong, Jack has shared domiciles before, in the service you had to but Ianto was… SOOOOO a man of the service.

Jack enjoyed spreading out and claiming his space where as Ianto seemed to want to shrink everything down.

Ianto's things were all carefully laid out, a place for everything and everything in it's place. He was almost anal with weird things like the book spines all being the same, the plates and such always going in the same pile. He was constantly moving thing a millimeter over until he was happy with the arrangement of tat Jack had shoved on the shelf while unpacking. It drove Jack mad. He knew he had to adjust, everything was about adjustments now and for the sake of his child… both their children… they had to suck it up and make it work. Right?

The other problem was the child. Thomas. he was like his father. Quiet, watchful and … shy.

Jack spent a lot of time talking softly to him and trying to seem friendly as the child shied away from him with wide eyes then resumed the silent watching.

Tommy sat and ate at a little table. Like a little soldier, all prim and proper, smelling his food the same as his father does and examining each mouthful like it might contain a maggot or something. Unnerving to say the least when food is food. Still… he was a lovely little shy thing, full of intelligence and he craved learning. Alice was starting to respond to him, something that was a relief to Jack who had worried about the two kids tighter, the real bug bear would arise if there was a clash but clearly… they liked one another.

This might work.

Jack just has to learn to accept this change.

.

.

.

.

Alice was yelling, loud and full of anger as her foot stomped on the plush carpet, Tommy sitting back at his little table with wide eyes as she tantrummed over her dropped sandwich. Apparently she really wanted that one and was so hungry but had dropped it within seconds of receiving it.

Ianto took a deep breath, one part of him wanting to scold and tell her that if she sat at the feckin table this would not happen… but the other part of him reminding him that she was not his child and he had no right to assert himself.

Tommy ws the one who fixed things by rising from his chair and leaning over with his plate in his hand, pushing it at her silently until she took half of his sandwich that was neatly cut on the plate.

"Thank you" she said shakily examining the sandwich and found it identical before taking a bite.

Tommy did the unthinkable, he raised the other half to his own mouth and brazenly ate away from the table, the two kids standing together eating.

Ianto held his tongue.

Jack watched for across the room with his boot in his hand half polished, watching not only the kids but the man who had sucked his cheeks in when the food had hit the floor.

Jack held his tongue.

The kids smiled at one another then they both walked to the table and settled in a chair each, Ianto silently approaching with the drinks and the retreating to make more food.

Crisis averted.

Both men finally glanced at one another and smiled.

See?

All good.


	4. finding rhythm for life together

"Ianto?" Jack called as he entered the apartment "You got your weekly schedule yet?"

"This morning" Ianto called back as he exited his bedroom and walked over to his tablet, raising it to unlock it and hand it over to Jack without a second thought. Jack unlocked his own and placed them side by side, then they looked up at the Vid-screen that flashed to life with the two schedules placed side by side for the two men to see overlaps and such.

"Shit, we are both on duty on the third shift on Sunday" Jack muttered, raising his tablet to stare at it I can ask Johnny to swap."

"That would be good if you can, I got the Wednesday one swapped around for Alice's school thing that we both need to attend and I don't think I can ask for another alteration" Ianto nodded, taping his own tablet.

Both men were acutely aware of the benefits this arrangement had brought them, the kids now an assured parent with them at all times and the Collective no longer getting their hooks into them. Both men feared this, the Collective gaining too much control over the kids.

"We have three evening meals together this week too" Ianto said, replied with this as he found it good to reinforce the eating habits on the kids. Jack nodded also noticing the change in his daughter as not only did her manners seem to have improved but she ate more while sitting and talking to Ianto. He was proving to be a kid man, letting her ramble on like it was interesting and she shone from his attention.

Tommy on the other hand liked his little bubble, eating silently as he stared into space. The occasional pat of his hand on Jack's knee to ask for something sweet too. Jack was getting fond of the little boy.

"You have an early rise in the morning" Jack pointed out with a frown "I don't like you doing these dawn shifts. Everyone is so rude and brisk, I know it takes a toll on you picking up from the twilight shift and their negativity."

"I know, but it's only the one early one this week, I can't get away from them but if I keep it to one or two… I can handle the nastiness" Ianto sighed, the negativity from those who knew he and Jack had cheated the system really grating. Some were openly nasty to him, especially since two men together was not something they were allowed to openly show displeasure at so they choose to show it in the fact Ianto and Jack were different ranks. Technically Ianto is one higher than Jack and they liked to ask him how his 'boy' was doing. Jack knew this. They never did that with him. The only asked him how the 'boss' was a few times before he answered them with sudden viciousness that left them all stunned.

Jack was not stupid.

Ianto might ignore it and deal with it by answering with sarcasm but Jack knew where the CCTV cameras were and could hit hard, fast and not leave mark. Everyone learned to not piss off that one. Ianto knew, heard about it and shrugged telling those around him they might be next once Jack got through his own list.

This had helped a bit.

The fact the Captain of the vessel was also a same sex family, his partner a lovely man who wafted aroid insulting people with that innocent look someone can have when they know they are untouchable. He had also heard of some mutterings and was insulted on behalf of Ianto and Jack. Ianto seems to amuse the Captain's Man no end.

Jack seemed to know what Ianto was thinking about and he asked calmly "Has Kaffer stopped making those noises around you?"

"Yes. Apparently he tripped and broke his nose the other day. Seems not to notice me for the bandage on it" Ianto replied blandly, looking at Jack in that accusatory way that made Jack grin wider.

"Pity, he has a nice nose… for a Gerjil" Jack pulled a face.

"You know… you are the sort of man my mother warned me about!" Ianto laughed after a while and Jack found himself joining in. Those nearby turned to watch the two men revel in their company.

They were a good match, Own had been right. They complimented one another, their kids like one another and they were assured a permanent place on the vessel in the safety of the inner sanctum.

The Collective was there, they were always there but at least now they seem to not be monitored anymore.

They settled into their lives once more, comfortable with the small changes needed to ensure their continued families…. Family.

It was much later as Jack lay in the bed listening to the faint sounds of crooning as Ianto settled his son for the night that Jack knew deep don the reason he would sleep tonight was because of that singing. The nights Ianto worked and missed bedtime didn't just make it harder for Tommy to sleep… Jack lay there listening for his end of shift too.

They were not all safe until they were all at home.


	5. what?

Ianto was moving fast along the walkway, moving around other crew members and nodding politely to the passengers who came and went with each planetary stop. The soft ping of his communicator told him the meeting was about start and he entered the room to bow and then head for a chair, pausing as he saw Jack already there with a look of matching confusion.

Ianto reached out to touch Jack's arm in question and Jack shook his head, unable to say what was wrong as he didn't know and he moved slightly in his seat to let Ianto sit with him.

"First Lieutenant. Captain. Thank you for coming so promptly" the head of the Collective said with a nod of her head "I would say please take a seat but you both share one already. Quaint."

The chairs were large for those Derbos on board who were twice the girth of a human so Ianto and Jack fitted neatly in one together and had not even thought about it as they looked at her owlishly.

"This makes the conversation all the more interesting for us. Captain Harkness, where do you sleep?"

Jack frowned "In my bed."

"And First Lieutenant?"

Ianto knew. In a heartbeat he knew. He remembered how they had caught the fact his own wife had been cheating with another crew member and he raised his head to say calmly "During the time of transition between our families, for the sakes of my son and his personal needs, I am sharing his space for now. Jack and I have been…. Discrete… in any dalliances so as not to have the children aware of them. My son's night terrors are continuing and until they settle in time Jack and I have stolen moments in the cleansing box. I am not sleeping next to him at night due to my son's issues. The intimate moments between myself and my husband are in the clean room."

Jack turned to him with silent confusion at the weird way he was speaking, and then he asked softly "Ianto?"

"The Collective are concerned that we are not cohabiting the same bed at night. I am merely explaining so they can be assured that there is no disharmony. In a partnership so young, as ours is, arguments and such can led to separate beds. As we never told anyone about Tommy's Night Terrors, they were not to know. "

Jack stared at him then said "But it's in his medical file and we take him to counselling for it every week."

"Which they will check Cariad" Ianto smiled softly "This is nothing bad. Nothing wrong, they merely want clarification. Understandable."

"Thank you for your honesty First Lieutenant" the High Councilor of the Collective said as she rose from the chair and everyone else did as well "I trust in time we will see the two of you in the same sleeping quarters"

"Of course… we are desperate for that as well. Our children's welfare must come first" Ianto smiled, bowing as he motioned Jacks to do the same and if was as they were moving along the walkway towards their rooms that Jack finally broke.

"What the fuck was that!"

Ianto pulled him into a storage room and looked around for cameras, finding none "fuck. I don't' know how I could be so stupid. Look… my wife Lisa… she was having an affair with another crew member. For months. I knew nothing, was so stupid. The Collective knew, waited to see what would happen and when they decided she was not going to break it off due to pregnancy… they swooped in and arrested her. She was forced to give up the child. I fought for it but it was not mine so… it was gone to the Collective and Lisa was shunned to the Skin Walkers along with her affair partner."

"Oh shit" Jack said with horror "Is she…"

"Yeah. About eight months ago... the breach that was in the aft hold. She died quick."

Jack sat heavily and ran his hand through his hair "So… what does that have to do with us?"

"How they caught her. DNA. They had the bedding from his berth, their proof that her DNA was in his bedding every each day. I … I don't think I really understood it, wss so shocked and confused. Sitting there it all made sense. They are checking our sheets somehow to see if we sleep in the same fucking bed!"

"Ewwww" Jack reared back.

"Right. SO. You have a side you prefer?"

Jack blinked, staring at Ianto with surprise. Really? Share the bed? "Er… it's the side with my crap all over the bedside table."

"Right. When you are on nights, I will sleep the other side. That way we are in the same bed, even if not at the same time. Wash day will start to show both our DNA in the sheets. Right?"

Jack nodded and agreed that was the best idea, even if deep down he had felt something shift that seemed to slump back down again.

"You know…" he said gamely "I don't mind sharing."

"Same" Ianto said as he rose to leave the room ".. if just with you."

Jack felt that thing move again.

Hope?


	6. another step forward

Jack got home in the early hours, tired and annoyed as his knee complained. The old injury flared up when they were in a meteor storm due to the vessel's thrusters causing small tremors almost unfelt by an able bodied person. Storms create turbulence and this one was just beginning, hence he was sent home halfway through the shift when the knee gave out and landed him on his arse.

Ianto was in the bed.

Jack hesitated, unsure what to do. He had come home several times to find the faint smell of Ianto in the sheets, revelling in the musky heat left as well but to find him still there… was problematic. Jack was not sure if he should wake Ianto or not. He decided to throw caution to the wind and slip into the bedding to lay next to him. Two adults, right?

Jack woke to a handsome limpet curled around him. A warm and extremely soft one, his face buried in Jack's chest. Sweet. Lovely and Jack enjoyed the time he had to lay there and smell Ianto's hair for a while, imagining him washing it.

Then Ianto moved, sighed and rolled away, Jack quickly feigning sleep as Ianto woke, rolling to look at him with surprise "Jack?"

Jack grumbled, made a show of walking "Wha..?"

"Jack, why didn't you wake me. I would have moved!" Ianto scolded sitting up in the bed.

"Sorry, I was so tried I don't think I noticed you were there. I just got in and fell asleep" Jack lied shrugging "But… it was nice to be in a warm bed. I guess… I guess it was comforting and I just… fell asleep."

"Ah" Ianto considered this then blushed "Well… there is no doubt now that we share a bed I guess."

Jack winked, knowing that he might find Ianto in his bed again.

This was something he fond unusually thrilling.

.

.

..

"First Lieutenant!"

Ianto felt his balls shrivel into his stomach as the voice of the High Councilor of the Collective purred in his ear, turning to find himself not alone in the lift as he had first thought.

"Madam, how lovely to see you again. In turquoise, this colour really makes your hair pop" Ianto said politely.

"I detect a smell on you… a thrilling… chocolate chip biscuit smell that I associate with the Captain."

Ianto cold only stare, the idea that SHE was the bloody thing that smelt DNA on bed sheets had never occurred to him and he could only smile weakly as he shrugged and managed to splutter out "Tommy is sleeping better… Jack and I able to steal more… connections."

"Good. Good" she nodded.

Ianto stepped to one side to allow her to exit the lift and after the door swished closed once more Ianto slid down the wall gasping for air as he clung to himself with the horror of how close she had been to him.

Fuck.

He straightened up and smiled as the doors opened again, now knowing that they were watching him and Jack more closely that first thought and the tests were far from over. He had to get this right. The kids liked one another; the berthage was lovely and now Jack had learnt to…sort of… pick up his boots it ws feeling like a home. And Jack… was nice to look at. Fantasize about …er… well.

Ianto entered the berthage and looked around, considering, then he set to work. He moved things into the bedroom to make it look more shared, his clothing in the drawers had been moved and he found that a mild shock. Jack would have no reason to come in here, if he needed socks or whatever he would merely ask. No. THEY were in here sometime. Right?

Ianto sat on the edge of the bed and remembered the first emotion that he had felt when waking in the warmth of this man's bed. It had felt…. Wonderful.

Next, he opened the coms and asked for the crew photographer on board he knew had a good rate, asking for a family portrait setting, gushing openly that he was sure the kids could sit still for five seconds now.

Then he went back to work as his break was almost finished, knowing he had to step up his game here.

.

.

.

Jack stood looking at the things in the bedroom, the change not that noticeable really at first glance but... all the same… it was now clearly co-habited. Jack smiled softly as he found the idea of this… positive.

"Hey… new slippers?" he called out as he entered the main room to find the kids already eating their after school snacks, Ianto's gentle hand petting their hair as he told them about being good kids and getting a photo of them.

"Ianto?"

"Family portrait" Ianto said as he straightened to look at Jack "The four of us. I have seen some of the other families have them on their door ident cards. Wouldn't that be cool? So we can show everyone who we belong to."

"I have a brother and two daddies!" Alice said with glee "I don't know anyone else with two daddies except Mason!"

Mason. The Captain's kid. Tick. Alice had made friends with the boss' kid. Good girl.

"and Hamie, but her parents are sort of… both I guess" Tommy said in a rare moment of communication and Alice giggled as she agreed.

"We don't even know what Hamie is, Hr clothes could be either." Alice said, reaching out to hug her brother with glee "But Hr jokes are so funny."

"Yeah" Tommy said, his arms flung around her to return the hug "But you are funnier."

Alice shone like a diamond as Jack nodded and agreed to the portrait.

They have such cute kids, might be nice.


	7. cheese

"No"

"Alice, please darling. If you sit here and…"

"NO!"

Ianto took a deep breath, turning to Jack for help but he was like a stone wall, standing there uncomfortably waiting to be told where to stand in his finest dress uniform. Ianto was in full uniform as well and he knew deep down that was the problem. The medals on Ianto's chest gleaming under the lights screaming HERO louder than Alice's tantrum. Jack had his, don't get me wrong. He had suffered but… Ianto's were soooo shiny.

"Tell you what" Ianto crouched, looking her in the eye "If you sit for me and are the sweet, good girl I know you to be you can chose one of my medals to wear, one for Tommy to wear too. OK?"

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at his chest then contemplated pointing to one that was a Medal of Citizenship gained when he had become a universal citizen, able to visit all the federation planets as a representative of the Collective. A highly prized one. He grinned as he felt the giggle rising for the child's innocent choice in a medal that sowed fealty to the Collective.

"Wonderful choice, you know… you have great taste" he said as he pinned it onto her dress "Right. And Tommy?"

She considered more, then looked over at her father "That one!"

Ianto turned with a look at the man with surprise as Jack knelt, "which one princess?"

"That one. The one for getting the scar by your ear!" she said with a pout "It's a family one right?"

"That's right. I saved my unit and this one showed my loyalty to the flight family. You want this one for your brother? You know, one from each parental is a good idea" Jack pined it onto his little… son's uniform.

Yes, they were all in uniforms. Uniforms of the Federated Collective. The deep midnight blue material to symbolize the deep space they dwelled in, the silver buttons and pips to show the stars and the white crisp button up shirts were the purity. Alice's dress was a feminine version with lots of white underskirts that flared out much like a little pompom skirt. She looked so cute and Ianto could not stop fussing as her hair gleamed in the lights. The hair slides with little diamonds on them sparking in the almost black hair were the fine touch that made her look like little princess.

Thomas looked like his Tad, down to the slicked hair and dower look but Jack wore the Great Coat without a second thought, wanting to honour his ancestors who wore this during the Great Wars and having been awarded this uniform for Planet Jaunts had been a big thing for him.

"Maybe without the coat?" the man behind the camera called out "It is so imposing."

Jack felt himself start to bristle but Ianto answered for him "It is his uniform. Don't be so stupid man, he would be out of uniform without it and I will not have my husband undressed! Have I not included the waistcoat of MY worth without comment from him? You know… only five members of this entire crew earned one of these puppies!"

Jack grinned as Ianto made a show of running his hands up and down his hips, the waistcoat clinching in his waist in such a way that Jack blurted "Maybe one of me and Ianto together, once we have the family one? For our personal wallets? I will take of my coat if he takes off his. I want one of him in the waistcoat and I will show my federation braces."

Ianto blushed as this was tantamount to being out of uniform but at the same time he found himself answering "We could roll our sleeves a little, like we have them when we do the dishes? I do like your arms."

Jack grinned wider, knowing this was all for show but damn, that blush starting up Ianto's neck was not. Truly? He likes his arms? Nice.

It was later as they looked at the final product that Jack pointed to one where they hadn't know the camera was facing them, both standing to one side talking while the kids get ready for some shots, Ianto reaching out to straighten Jack's collar for him as Jack reached out to place his hands on Ianto's hips for support with his wonky knee as they talked quietly.

They looked like a couple. An old married couple discussing what they were going to have for the evening meal, Ianto's smile soft as he looked into Jack's face and Jack's eyes slightly down as he focused on Ianto's smile.

They looked like a couple in love.

Little did they know, the newsletter that went out that Friday featured this shot of the two men, their love seeming to burst from the page and the Collective proudly proclaimed another good wholesome family image.

Ianto was horrified.

Jack framed it.

For his side of the bed.


	8. Dermils?

Jack was looking at the Space Fighter with annoyance, another one wreaked and he turned to scold the pilot only to find the team leader had beaten him to it, waving a hand at the little star ship as he roared with anger, spittle flying as he asked the pilot how much he thought this bird was worth.

Unfortunately, not much now. Whatever he had hit, he had done so with great force, as had two other fighters sitting to one side and other pit crew were equally disguised with what they were finding sucked in the intake valves, the smell unbearable. Jack crouched to look under the bird and frowned "Chippie. When you are done, come look at this."

The Team Leader gave the young man one more glare before turning to crouch next to Jack, looking at what he had found and both men stared at it or a few minutes in silence then Chippie asked softly "What in the seventh Rell is that shit?"

"You want a firm 'I don't know' or do you want a 'I hope its not' answered?" Jack replied.

"What do you suspect?"

"The slime goes down the fuselage, there is no sign of exploding or guts. Whatever he hit did not pop on impact like the others… it seems to have … well, look at these marks here… found the seam for the landing gear and hung on." Jack paused and grimaced "The real question is… where is it now? Did to fall off when the landing gear engaged? Before? Now?"

"Fuck me, it could be on board" Chippie spat, rinsing to look around with horror.

"I suggest we walk the runway, check for slime, body bits and general grossness. As much as I would like to say it fell to out there in the black… we both know there is a possibility the feckin thing is on board, fell off as he landed." Jack stated to remove his coat, reaching for a clean-up crew one with the bright fluro reflective strips so he was easily seen "Let's clean up the landing strip yeah?"

Several others had been in earshot and they all gingerly walked in single file along the landing bay, down the strip forwards the inner blast doors. As they walked they retrieved bits of bodies and gross goo.

"Cap? What are these?" someone called out to Jack.

"Dermils. Space bugs sort of like locusts back home but these shitters can fly in space. More like gliding I guess, using planetary pulls to swarm and move." Jack called back.

"What do they eat?"

"Us"

Everyone stopped walking, turning to stare at him as Jack grinned back at them "Yeah. They land on a planet that supports life, devour everything they can, take off and slingshot around the nearest sun to do it all again. A plague of the black."

"I thought that was a myth"

"No. I've seen it before. Ask Captain Hart next time he is sober enough for a conversation. We partnered on little planet hopper for the embassy, moving a diplomatic package from one planet to the other and landed on one that had been recently harvested. He might tell you… if he has a little booze on board. DO NOT ask him when he is completely sober or he will not tell you. Half mast is best. If you really want to hear about what we saw. It is certainly something that no amount of alcohol will ever erase. We got a medal for that one, getting off with over half the crew and the competed package." Jack shook his head, then pointed "Goo."

They tracked the slime trail to a vent and Jack cursed softly "Fuck me. It's in."

"In the skin, we need Skin Walkers!" Chippie barked, swinging to give orders for a crew to be sent in to search the inner skin of the hull along this vent.

Jack didn't like that idea but knew he was not one to speak out of turn. Besides… as horrible and cowardly as it sounded, he was glad it was not his problem now.

.

..

.

"And the likelihood that there is more than one?" Ianto asked that night as Jack sat on the edge of their bed working on his tablet, covertly watching Ianto do his exercises before bed.

"Hmmm?"

"Jack, are you listening to me?" Ianto scolded then smiled softly as Jack looked over his glasses and grinned. "The chances there are more than one?"

"Slim. Very slim, I am sure it was just the one. The others all seem to have exploded on impact. Fully migrating to a nearly planet already…. Awww hell." Jack put the tablet down as he flopped back "If they think of that there will be a recon mission to see if the planet is done or survivors are in need of assistance."

"The chances of that?" Ianto sat on the edge of the bed and raised an eyebrow.

Jack's tablet pinged and he looked hard at Ianto before both men groaned softly.

Seems someone else had thought of it as well.

Jack was being summoned as an advisor.


	9. assemble

Jack and Ianto knew he had to do this. For the vessel. The crew. Their kids but as the time grew to leave they found themselves holding hands, standing in the lift staring at one another. The desire to touch too strong and it was a wonder they were not caught by member of the Collective mid-fumble when the doors opened, only to close again as the old man waiting to enter the life stood motionless as the two men kissed in front of him, oblivious to their sudden audience.

As the door closed the man said to himself "Sweet. Young love, eh?"

Ianto had walked with Jack to the planetary jumper, his fear now starting to show as he struggled not to touch Jack in fornt of the others. He stood as Jack talked quietly to one another; his fear brimming over as Jack glanced over at him and Ianto saw a moment of fear reflected before Jack grunted and turned away.

"JACKIE!"

John Hart was swaggering towards them, his arms out and his grin wide "You roped into this too?"

"Johnny" Jack smiled softly accepting the hug as he sighed and knew this was not good if they were both mustered for this. Clearly they had tried to contact the planet to no avail and now this was more than a 'Looksie' and more of a 'fuckit' and both men shared a look that said they knew they were about to be dumped chin deep in shit.

"Glad you could all make it. We are going on a mission of extreme importance. Planet 58 is one of the Collective's star terra-planets boasting prime stock and the meat is considered superior due to the high mineral deposits in the soil that the creatures graze on. So far we have been unable to raise anyone, but this could be a communication problem, not necessarily a 'all dead' scenario. Until we get down there we will not know the full lay of the land" the General boomed, then looked over to notice Ianto standing to one side.

"And who are you?"

"My husband. Our children are in the Collective's care for now" Jack said calmly "Ianto is also a First Lieutenant who can fly the large G6 carriers. If we need an evac of multiples including stock then he will no doubt be the captain of that vessel."

"Really? First Lieutenant…"

"Harkness-Jones sir" Ianto answered, the soft voice making John swing to gape at him then back to Jack with open glee. Jack glared at him and then looked away as Ianto added "I am familiar with combat flight, I have evac'ed under fire before so a rescue flight will be an efficient task for me."

"Ah… I remember you now. Ianto. Right?"

"Yes sir, I remember you as well" Ianto bowed slightly at the waist then returned to his at ease stance like this was no big deal but the man now looking from the podium at him knew damned well who he was addressing, even if the rest of them didn't.

"Good. At least someone will have our arses for us" the General huffed nodding as he turned to address the men again "So… Costello… are you ready?"

"Ready Sir, and it's Suzie in flight."

"Of course. Suzie. Ms Sato will be our Mother for this and Medic Harper will be coming along for the flight in case we have survivors in need of medical assistance. Of course… we hope for the best and prepare for the worst, correct Jonesey?"

"Correct Sir" Ianto said blinking slowly as words he once said to that man are parroted back. Only this time Ianto was not holding a compress to said man's head as he took over flight of a large space jumper. The General smiled softly at the man who had saved his life and the life of his crew that day, comforted that they were on firmer ground than he had first thought.

"Actually… I think now I know you are on board, I would like to amend this. We go down and Jonesey here takes his Big Bird to orbit. Quickest escape if needed, better extraction time. I saw him scoop an entire Planet Hover into the holding bay without going lower than two feet off the ground once"

Jack looked slightly alarmed and blurted out "We have children."

"I will be fine Cariad" Ianto said softly, still nodding to the General "I will not set foot on the surface at any point. The good General here knows I do not much like the sound those things make."

"No… last time we had to do a snatch and grab as I recall… you shot the bloody lot of them with the sub Sonics, the smell of them on fire is not for the faint hearted" the General laughed "But by god, you were savage."

"A man is only as strong as his actions" Ianto said sagely "Actions can sometimes mean more than talking about it. No need to go back over last events sir… as we know… each and every recon is different and this time you will have my husband by your side, not my wife. Ironically… he is worth more to me as a mate than as a crew member."

"Yes. If that magazine cover is anything to go by, you seem to like this one a lot more than your last" the General said.

"I do sir. Pease don't get him too messed up... he is so pretty after all" Ianto quipped and everyone burst out laughing, including Jack who fought the urge to go over and hug him.

John Hart glanced between the two men and canted his head as he wondered how the hell that had happened, not like they were people who move in the same circles. Jealously now crept in as John glanced back at the handsome man in his dress blues.

A waistcoat.

He was of the higher tier?

Now John knew this was unusual as Jack NEVER looked twice as those in the higher tiers. This one… this one had something to him though and as John stared at him Ianto turned to face him and John saw it.

A predator.

"Oh my" John said softly to himself as Ianto blinked and turned away, breaking the link that John had felt.

Ianto was not a higher tier.

He was Top tier.

Ianto was High Blood.

Oh my.

What the hell was he doing with Jack?


	10. let's roll

OK… are you ready for me to get nasty?

10

The Huge Space Cruiser is moving within range of the planet. Ianto is on the flight deck of the large Planetary Space Hauler named Torchwood that is about to fly from the main hanger out into the outer limits to orbit the planet below, Toshiko (Mother) and Andy are crew that have flown with Ianto before (How Owen met him actually… through Tosh), as is the General seated next to him in the flight chairs with his hands gripping the arms.

Jack in the smaller Space Hopper named Spark inside SV Torchwood's belly. Jack's crew Suzie, John, and Clew is with him. Two more dust monkeys are along for the ride in the lower engine bay cabin where their manual labour is needed as mechanics. They know this is going to be a blast, Hewson and Jamie not realizing what a wild ride it will really be, even as the General on the Torchwood grips the arms more and grits his teeth. He hates this part. It's all up to Ianto now as he nods to the General who gives the order to fire up the main thrusters and begin departure.

The crew strap themselves to their seats.

Jack is still chewing over the hushed hissing contest he had with John as they boarded, John demanding to know why Jack was with a High Blood Clansman making Jack want to throttle him. Of course Ianto is more than he seems. The waistcoat is a dead giveaway to him being of the First Families. Jack saw this early on, is still a little freaked out but knows that if they pull this off the Collective will not only get off their arses but maybe… maybe with Ianto being of High Borne Blood … maybe … maybe next time there is a planetary diplomatic posting they might get it. Imagine… being planeteers again. Land. Room.

"Prepare for separation and orbital insertion of the cargo." Ianto says calmly as he rose from the flight deck and people watch the huge Junker that was to be for their next planetary incursion more delicately flown down the flight runway towards the outer blast doors than they thought one this size could be.

Lights flash as Toshiko taps her console and alarms sound as Ianto hits the button to open the door, allowing them to enter the 'space zone' which is the airlock between the inner and outer door, closing the inner doors behind them and preparing final checks as they count down the airlock's depressurization, to embark on the voyage down to the planet's orbit. Ianto again nods and the General is the one to push the button to open the outer doors once the lights flash green to tell them the venting is complete and Ianto moves his vessel as gracefully as he can into the black, then they start to let the planetary pull engage.

"Give me an EC Pressure reading Mother." Ianto asks.

"3.45 n/c m^2 squared" Toshiko answers, and then says softly "5 psia to the great unwashed."

"Shout if it changes. Deactivate probe retract system." Ianto nods.

"What about the pressure seal." The General asks.

Ianto hits appropriate switches as he ignores the question, showing that this is second nature to him. In the blood. "Now the probe-retract system."

Andy hits other equally appropriate switches. "Okay."

"Release captive hatches and disengage probes." Ianto demands.

Andy working switches and buttons. "Disengaged."

Ianto punches buttons of his own.

The Spark separates from Torchwood.

Ianto watches the Spark moving away on a view screen.

"All free and clear." Andy says like they can't see it, but for the purposes of the Collective listening to this broadcast to vitalize as much as possible they need to vocalise as much as possible.

"Toshiko. Are you there Mother?"

"Orbital insertion complete." Toshiko agrees as she checks the numbers and confirms that the Spark has breached the outer atmo.

"Okay. The Mother is safe. Let's take it down." Jack says as he sees the lights change to green, Torchwood disengaging its control.

Engines coughing to life. Spark begins its descent.

Below night's tide rolls across the planet's surface.

The view screen shimmers.

"Turbulence." Ianto says softly as he watches the vessel fall further from him.

Spark is hydroplaning downward. A set of brilliant lights switch on. Cut through the thick atmosphere.

Hewson and Jamie are tightly strapped in their seats. Begin rocking from the sudden, extreme turbulence. Hewson can see the dials and screen "Christ. Overloading. What the hell are we going through?"

"Dust fritzing the compressor." Jamie calls out.

"There goes the conversion stabilizer." Hewson calls out.

Jamie says softly as lights flash around them "I don't know if the digital solenoid..."

"Forget it. If we don't crash, dollars to your aunt's cherry we get an electrical fire..."

Up on the bridge Jack grunts as he struggles with the controls, John beside him mirroring his movements as they work in sync. The turbulence continues unabated.

John's eyes follow cross-plot gauges. "Drop begins...now. Fifteen kilometres and descending... twelve... ten... eight and slowing. Five. Three. Two. One kilometre and slowing."

"Lock tractor breams." Jack calls out.

A loud electrical hum.

"Locked." John yells.

"Killing drive engines." Jack demands, reaching for the switch.

The engines fall silent.

John calls out the numbers "Nine hundred meters and dropping. Eight hundred. Seven hundred."

A storm is blowing across the night-shrouded surface. The Spark hovers on glowing beams of light. Landing struts unfold like insect legs.

The ship slams down. Rocks heavily on massive shock absorbers.

"We're down." Jack confirms.

An enormous vibration.

The panels in the engine room flash simultaneously.

Lights go out.

Up on the Torchwood Ianto grunts with alarm as the screens displaying Spark's diagnostics flicker that then show multiple alarms shipwide. The Spark is in trouble down there.

He can only hope and wait.

Have faith in the man he is bonded to.

* * *


	11. Touchdown

"Lost it. Lost it." Jamie yells with alarm as he struggles with the clips for his seat's straps.

Another huge vibration. An electrical fire breaks out along three control panels. Huge flash fire whips along a corridor. Hewson and Jamie see the pandemonium. Jamie hits the secondary generator switch. A pressure valve blows. Another conduit breaks loose. All lights go out.

They grab hand lights from wall.

Still in darkness on the bridge John says calmly "Secondary generator should kick over."

"Where is it?" Suzie growls with annoyance.

Moments. Nothing. John grabs an emergency headlamp from the wall by their seats. Followed by Suzie and Clew.

"What happened?" Ianto asks through the coms link to the Torchwood above them.

Jack ignores him as he hits the internal coms. "Engine room, what happened?"

"God damn electrical fire, that's what happened." Hewson yells back. On the Torchwood thy listen with rapt attention as the coms relay back to them as well.

"It's big" Jamie agrees.

Hewson is fighting an electrical fire on one of his panels. Jamie shouting into his coms "The intakes are clogged. We overheated and burned out a whole cell...Christ, it's really breaking loose down here..."

"Somebody give me a simple answer, has the hull been breached." Jack asks calmly.

Suzie scans her gauges. "I don't see anything. We've still got pressure."

A beep from the communicator.

"Hit the screen." Jack demands.

Andy snaps three toggles. The screens flicker, but remain black. " Nothing."

"I mean it... slap the prick" Jack mimes hitting it with his hand and Andy laughs softly as he complies.

Outside the wind howls. The storm continues to blow around the craft. A few glittering lights distinguish the Spark from absolute darkness.

Hewson is on the communicator to the bridge. "4D panel is totally shot, the secondary load sharing unit is out, at least three cells on 12 module are gone."

Suzie listening to Hewson. John standing over her. No images on any screens.

"Is that it?" Suzie asks.

"Couldn't fix it out here anyway." Hewson continues "And we need to reroute a couple of these ducts. Can't really fix them without a whole dry-dock..."

"What else." Suzie demands, rolling her eyes as she knows this is bullshit.

"We lost a cell. Some fragments caked up and blew the whole system. We've got to clean it all out and re-pressurize."

"Get started on 4 panel. I'll be down in five minutes." Suzie demands, reaching to unhook from her chair. She shuts off her voice communicator.

"How long before we're functional." Jack asks.

"Fifteen to twenty minutes..."

"Stay on it. What about the auxiliaries." Jack nodded.

"Working on it."

Bridge lights come to life. Illuminate nothing but a patch of featureless ground. The wind and storm now at a higher pitch.

.

.

Up on the Torchwood Ianto, the General, and Toshiko are slouched around the bridge. Drinking coffee. Occasionally staring at the opaque screens.

"Any response yet?" Ianto asks for the umpteenth time.

"Nothing. All channels are dead." Toshiko says softly "so far no one has responded to the ship's arrival."

.

.

.

Down on the surface of the planet Jack is also struggling to see, finally demanding "Kick on the floods."

A ring of floodlights comes to life. Dimly illuminating the rocky landscape. The wind and dust now at a higher pitch.

Jack stares at the dark screens.

"We can't go anywhere in this." John says with annoyance. "The sun's coming up in about ten minutes, right?"

How far from the colony's Hub?" Jack is leaning forward as they scan for anything that resembles life.

"Northeast... about 3000 meters." John replies "Close enough to walk."

"Let's run an atmospheric." Jack decides.

John punches buttons, starts to consult his panel. "Atmo intact. I see oxygen…. Light as to be expected but breathable. I volunteer for the first group going out with you."

"I hear you. Suzie. You too."

Pause.

"Swell." She mutters.

"One more thing. Let's get out some weapons."

.

.

Sunrise.

The atmosphere begins to lighten. Silhouette of the Spark becoming dimly visible. Spark is perched on barren rock. More rolling clouds of dust. The floodlights automatically shut off. They lean forward to look out the window and see something they wish they hadn't.

"Maybe… it was before we landed" John says softly but they knew better.

Some of the settlers had run for the vessel as they heard it landing but had never reached the landing pad.

Their remains strewn about like a bear attack mauling.

Jack prayed they were not all that was left of them as there seems to be less than a dozen to cause this, hopefully… god… hopefully more were still in the Hub where they were safe awaiting evac.

John is right.

Time to arm up.


	12. searching

Posting early because tomorrow will be madness in RL

.

12

Lights arc across the dormant buildings as the flat deck turns onto the "main drag." It trundles down the rutted street, throwing up sheets of filthy water as the massive wheels hit pond-like potholes. Windblown rain lashes across the headlights.

Like a gigantic skateboard with controls at the front and one long bar along the middle to cling to, the Evac Crew stand bracing themselves as they rumble towards the Hub.

The Flat Deck rolls up close to the entrance. The crew step off.

"Sir, the CPU is on-line." Suzie advises as she checks the door's locking mechanism.

"Okay, stand by in operations." Jack says so Ianto can hear, then adds to his crew "Let's go. Suzie, open her up please."

She walks to the exterior lock door-controls and studies them. She punches some unfamiliar buttons. Nothing happens. She hits another button. The door-motors come to life and she relaxes a little.

Jack gestures for her to precede him inside.

John catches up with Jack as the others move ahead of them into the bowels of the complex. "Looks like the Collective can write off its share of this colony."

Suzie sees the ravaged administration complex. Fire-gutted offices. John notices her looking around nervously. He motions to Jamie with his eyes and the young trooper casually falls in beside her on the other side, rifle at ready.

Hewson emerges from a side corridor ahead. "Sir, you should check this out..."

He leads the way into the corridor.

This wing is completely without power. The crew switch on their pack lights and the beams illuminate a scene of devastation worse than they have seen.

"Right ahead here..."

They approach a barricade blocking the corridor, a hastily welded wall of pipes, steel-plate, and outer-door panels. Sonic Blaster holes have slashed through the floor and walls in several places. The metal is scratched and twisted by hideously powerful forces, peeled back like a soup can on one side. They squeeze through the opening.

They pack-lights play over the devastation of the colonists' last ditch battle. The equipment of the med labs has been uprooted to add to the barrier. The walls are perforated by pulse-rifle fire and acid. Scorched by untended fires to bare metal. A few instruments glow with emergency power.

"Last stand." John says softly.

"No bodies?" Suzie asks.

"No, Sir. Looks like it was a helluva fight." Jamie answers to his higher up.

"I don't like this" Jack says as he looks around "no bodies. Not of either persuasion. You gotta think they caught a few bugs before they succumbed … did the bugs eat their own as well? And if so… at least some blood should be evident… right?"

"Jack … this is not like last time" John agrees.

.

.

Ianto is listening on the Torchwood, his fingers drumming on the arm of his chair as the General stands to stretch his legs "Get you anything?"

"No thank you sir. Too nervy"

"You are a good man. Remember that, so is your man down there. They will be fine."

Ianto grunted as he continued to stare at the console ahead like it might give him more, then he sighed "You're right. I will stretch my legs too. Toshiko, you have the chair."

"Sir"

Ianto walked with the General along the corridor to the holding bay where the Spark had been not so long ago and as they walked Ianto felt a weird sense of change. Like stepping from a warm room to a cold one and he stopped walking "Do you feel that?"

"Hmmm?"

Ianto looked around "Colder."

"Thinner membrane most likely, as each end it air locked in case of … Ianto?" the General watched as Ianto walked to the hull and started to touch it, his face calm even as he seemed to be acting a little weird, finally stopping at one spot.

"Cold. Sir, come feel. Icy cold."

The General did so and frowned "what does this mean?'

"The Torchwood has double membrane, same as the Mother Ship. If the outer hull has a breach and the inner hull is intact you can tell the difference in the change of temperature. This tells up there is a small tear or something in our outer hull." Ianto paused to consider "If we go up into void we might be compromised."

"Then we land and fix it."

"And we might be compromised." Ianto shot back.

"Then we space walk it out!"

Ianto blinked, not speaking so the General finally added "And we could be compromised?"

Ianto smiled "I think the best bet is to try and land on the surface, run a bot out to slap on a fix then we jump to the Spark's coordinates since we are in the inner atmo."

"Agreed"

.

.

"Sir, just had a call from Mother. Their outer hull has caught a bit of space debris, they are landing to Bot-Spot it then will jump to our coordinates. They will then wait for us to return and evac." Suzie called out.

"Awww… just when we were having fun" Jack pouted "I wanted to fly her back up."

"And I prefer Ianto's calm hand" someone called out as Jack swung to glare around him.

"Who said that, you scummer!"

They laughed nervously as they continued to search.


	13. a sneak attack

Ianto stood on the ramp with a gun at his hip watching the Bot as it flew around the hull seeking the small tear.

"Nice now its daylight" Toshiko said as she came to stand hear him, looking out over the grass that seemed to dance in the light breeze.

"For however long it lasts" Ianto muttered, "you smell that in the breeze? Sulphur."

"That was not on the specs" she said, turning to push her glasses up her nose as she looked behind them. She could not smell it but she was not of his elk. Her all too human nostrils could not detect the same things one with a drop of Catkind can.

"Just started to whip up… must be a mine somewhere here. To join the spec shelters with underground systems so they can escape these topside storms. You know… they seem to have been drilling all over the place, see over there? Drill holes."

She frowned "but… they were not here to drill. They have their humidifier for water, why drill? The tunnel Mole drills sideways… not these."

"We don't know that, what were the orders of the Collective, not that they would admit they sent them here to seek something, to terra-form." Ianto said so softly it was almost snatched by the breeze and she shared a look with him that could not be heard over any listening devices then they both went back to watching the Bot weld a patch.

They might not be of the same elk but they were both of High Blood. Their unspoken conversation chilling them both as they stood closer together, his warmth comforting her.

Did they find something that enhances the nasties?

.

.

.

.

"OK, I will be the one to say it" John finally broke the silence "Do we go into the basement where the monster is? Ripley style?"

"No. We have come, we have looked and now we retreat" Jack said as he considered the silence of the place "there is no one alive here. No signs of life and the longer we are here, the sooner the things realize we are here and another food source is available."

"I agree" John moved towards the others, calling to them that they were going to retreat as Jack took one more look around, helping Suzie scoop the medical records and rip out the mother boards from the back of computers that would no doubt tell the story.

They double timed it back to the vessel to find it being flown into the hanger of the larger vessel remotely, Ianto standing there with the small control pad showing great skill.

"Look at that… he flies like one of us" John said softly as he patted Jack on the shoulder and Jack grinned, then sobered as he smelt the same thing in the breeze Ianto had, both men looking at one another as John caught it too. "Sulphur."

"Right… we are out of here. Fuck" Jack started to run, calling out that they need to lift off ASAP and Ianto nodded, walking up the ramp as the crew rumbled up on the Flat Bed and the ramp closed, sealing the vessel once more.

"Sulphur" Ianto said softly and Jack nodded, the unspoken fact that this smell heralded the monsters. Now detectable to humans, it was thick in the back of Ianto's throat. Jack and his team ran for their seats as Ianto secured the Bots and Spark.

Ianto took off without fanfare, punching it as some yelped in their seats and John whooped with glee. Jack grinned as he clung go this seat, laughing at his husband for showing off. Of course… they were also getting out of Dodge as quickly as possible.

They knew no one was left alive.

The smell confirmed it was overrun.

Time o go home and report.

.

.

.

"So what is your recommendation?" the Collective looked down at the Away Team with mild interest.

"We move our arses as far from the planet as we can before they decide to migrate" the General barked, tried of their posh ways in the face of a crisis "We do not want them to come this way."

"Agreed."

.

.

Ianto walked with Jack to their berth where the kids were waiting with the minder, lighting up as their parents entered and they rushed to them, full of questions.

"Yes, it was fun. No, nobody died and no there were no trophies" Jack lied, laughing as he hugged both kids then turned and gathered Ianto into his arms for a soft kiss "And I am so glad you were there with me."

"I am just glad we got off there without passengers we didn't want" Ianto shuddered then frowned "You think they found it? The one in the walls?"

"Probably cleaned it all up while we were dirt side, right?" Jack surmised "I will ask around and see if the Skin Walkers found anything in the shaft."

"I hope so" Ianto nodded "Or all our plans are dust."

"Well… Sulphur" Jack said softly to himself as he shook off such fear, watching the kids gather their pictures they had drawn for them, Tommy's little face shining with delight as even Alice said he was a great painter.

Both men were tired, dirty and the smell of sulphur clung to them like wet clothing.

They stumbled into the Cleaning Box (like a large shower room) and washed without a second thought, used to sharing space with other crew members and it was a surprise to Ianto when he turned to grab the hair wash to find Jack handing it to him, "Apple right?"

"Yes. Thanks."

"I like your hair smell" Jack said as he pulled his own spicy one from the shelf "comforting."

Ianto smiled as he stepped into Jack's arms, surprising the man with a kiss as he replied "You comfort me too."

Then Ianto was gone, the soap from his hair still running down the drain as Jack blinked and then smiled slowly.

Well, well, well.

A sneak attacker is he?


	14. ghosts

"And you left without any survivors" the Head of the Collective bristled in her chair on high, Ianto bristling silently in his own chair as the General stood to attention in front of his crew, the one on the mat here.

"Madam, there were none. We were twelve hours or so late." The General growled "My crew and I tried to find any signs, could not."

"We will have to take your word for that!" she sniffed.

Ianto was on his feet before he could stop himself, the loyalty in him fierce as he stood to defend his leader "Madam! Ms Sato here can show you the computer files recovered from the hard drives that show the colonists were over run at least 24 hours before we were even in range. The last of them died in the night as we were trying to get to them. There WERE none to retrieve and that is a sadness we will have to carry with us."

"First Lieutenant" she said with a slow blink "How can you be so sure?"

"Madam, Jack and I still have our uniforms in snapped bags for the incinerator if you want to examine them first. The smell of sulphur so cloying it was almost sickening as we fled. Fled Yes, I am not ashamed to admit we left with open fear. The monsters were creating sulphate so strongly that we could taste it. I am sure you can smell our fear in the fabric… as well as the death Jack walked though." Ianto said then finally got hold of himself, adding "But of course, one as cultured as yourself needs not taint herself with a smell as we need another cleansing before we finally agree it is gone from our skin."

"Captain?"

Jack rose to shoot a look at Ianto before saying "I concur with my husband. Those things were not only in full sulphurization, they were preparing for the second migration. The first hit us, the second might be larger and more aggressive."

"I see."

Ianto stood with Jack, reaching for his hand as he knew Jack was angered that Ianto had spoken instead of keeping his mouth shut like Jack but Jack squeezed softly to show he was not mad at him for this. The soft thrum of comfort flowed and Ianto relaxed. As he had suspected, Jack had a touch of the gift too.

Finally the woman said "Very well. We accept this account and add it into record."

Everyone bowed and left the room, Ianto and Jack glad they were done with all of the shit then Toshiko had to say "they didn't find it ya know. The one in the hull."

"Bullshit!" John spat.

"Nope. If one did get into that vent it is still in the workings of this ship" she sighed.

"Damn it… if one is on this vessel then we will already be missing people" Ianto replied, then he paled as he swung to face Jack "The Skin Walkers. They would know if they are missing people. They would be the first to go, right?"

"Hang on, I will check their membership numbers" Toshiko agreed, tapping on her tablet as Ianto made a noise of annoyance.

"What?" Jack asked softly.

"Membership numbers. Like they asked for it" Ianto said angrily "Not all of them are criminals. Not all of them are bad people, just not necessary to the Collective anymore."

"Well… if one is still looks to be in the workings they will suddenly be the most important ones on this ship" John said as he saw Ianto's annoyance without knowing why "Who else will be send to hunt them down?"

"Wow, I am sure it will enjoy the snacks we send!" Ianto snarled, not totally enraged as Jack knew Ianto was right, reaching out to pull him into his arms in an attempt to contain him somehow. He looked like he was ready to fly apart, shaking slightly as he glared at his shoes.

"IF and it is a big IF but IF one is in the hull's skin we will not send Skin Walkers to their doom. IF one is lose anywhere in this vessel WE will hunt it down. We are the bloody experts right?" John said calmly "Right?"

"You. A Sonic blaster in the skin of the vessel? Right. Good idea I am sure!" Andy laughed as he shoved at John "I see boom…scream… sucky sucky swoosh…. Bye bye."

Ianto started to chuckle, then laugh as Andy mimed floating away into space as John pouted theatrically.

"He is right though. John is trigger-happy" Jack laughed as well, the relief raw as he saw Ianto let go of his anger.

"And he is right about the whole… expert thing" Owen added "If one is on this ship, it multiplies and we are all fucked. We don't' have time to send body after body to it. We need to hunt it, kill it and cleanse this place. Assuming it was just one that managed to get inside in the first place, not more."

"Well... I don't know about anyone else, but I need to see my kids" Ianto sighed reaching for Jack's hand "Come on husband. Let's go kiss our kids and remember why we are about to get into the one place I am afraid of."

Jack knew the ghosts in there would haunt Ianto more than the Dermils.

Lisa would be waiting in the back of his mind.


	15. time to hunt for...bugs?

"Are you OK?" Jack asked as he watched Ianto who was watching their kids. Both kids were unaware of their parents, standing beyond the one way glass of the school room. Ianto considered as he watched Alice stand next to her little brother protectively watching over him as he drank his milk.

"Now I am. They are OK. They will be OK. No matter what happens… it will need to be OK right?"

"That's a lot of OKs in there Tiger" Jack crooned, kissing Ianto's forehead and Ianto turned to face him.

"That's the other thing. You know this arrangement we have… I want more. I want more from you. More from us. I … how do you feel about me?"

Jack considered with surprise then admitted "I would like to try for more too. I am afraid that if we do not mesh, if we do not fit as a couple that it will make things hard for us with the kids but… ideally? I want you as my partner in and out of the bedroom."

"Good. Well… yes. OK. Good" Ianto flustered then kissed Jack.

Jack held him, kissing him back until a throat cleared and they parted with guilty expressions to find some other parents watching them.

"What!" Jack said calmly "They can't see."

"But we can!" a mother bristled.

"Deal with it. We're here, we're queer and we're sooo in love!" Ianto said with a snap back that had Jack roaring with mirth as Ianto hooked his hand and led him from the room.

"And we are now going for a quick shag" Jack said over his shoulder.

They giggled all the way along the corridor as Jack revelled in this side he had not seen before. Ianto was playful. Like Jack, he was trying to be positive and it again hit them that they were a good fit.

Let's see if they hunt well together too.

Time to gear up.

.

.

.

The old dog lies on the walkway in the skin of the vessel, the space between the inner and outer hulls where all sorts of things hide. It is resting but not asleep. Soon its head lifts, hearing something. It's a faint SCRAPING-CLAWING.

Beneath the walkway grating lies the jungle of conduit. Like a living shadow, something down there moves.

Hackles rising, the dog turns and skulks up the stairs. It wants no part of this.

A hole in the level's mesh floor. Pried open at a seam. Someone is searching for something. Silently, a Skin Walker detaches a metal rod from his backpack. Now he finds a mirror and leans out of the bunk to angle the mirror over the hole. He sees... Inside the hole. There's only blackness.

The Skin Walker slithers off the lower level and drags himself closer. The Skin Walker peers down. And only now do we see the thing behind him - the dark coiled mass that clings spiderlike to a ceiling corner.

A clawed paw whips through the air, noosing around his neck. The Skin Walker gurgles a scream as the claw rears him back... And body-slams him into the ceiling.

Fluids spatter Skin Walker Ray's face. He wakes in his sleeping spot to see in the next level... Skin Walker's body splashing against the ceiling.

A CRY. Ray is on his feet, moving to the hull's bracings, looking out. Can't see much in the dark. Just movement. Fast, horrid, lethal.

The Rogue Dermil turning. Spotting a new target. Ray realizing he's next as the largest one he has ever heard of moves. The Skin Walker is dropped to floor. Boneless. The Rogue Dermil begins smashing into side bracing bars. Over and over. Trying to get at Ray.

The railing between levels to stop people falling into the lower belly of the vessel are all that is saving Ray now.

Skin Walkers are now calling for help. Others running.

Steel pistons are moving. Spotlights sweeping tiers. Rogue Dermil is now sizing up bars. Then making an OMINOUS CLATTERING SOUND as its exoskeleton begins moving, plates unhinging, shifting, collapsing. Rogue reshaping itself - then, impossibly, passing through the bars.

Ray falls silent. Stunned.

The Rogue snapping back into shape, realigning in one tremendous body- flex. And now attacking.

Blood dancing on air.

Rogue attacking.

Entrails spilling.

Attacking. Attacking. Attacking.

"Over there! Other side, other side!" John yells as he runs, pointing ahead of himself, one hand holding the hilt of the Katana he prefers for hunting.

Lights whirl around the tier. The walls there are red. And empty. And quietly dripping.

Flashlight beams probe machinery. Beams swing over huge gears. Pistons. Conduit. And the first sign of blood.

Skin Walkers with dogs track the blood through the machinery level, the bowels of the station. The trail leads to... A utility shaft. In better light, we see the faces of these Special Service guards, a.k.a. the Shit Squad. It's a ragged but tough-ass crew of men and women who will do just about anything for time-and-a- half.

Their Boss looks down the shaft. It narrows and turns, hiding its other end. "Right Nut. Get a reading."

Right Nut shoulders to the front, aims an Echo Location Gun (E.L.G.) down the shaft and pulls the trigger. John, Jack, Ianto and Suzie stand nearby letting the Skin Walkers have the run of the operation. After all … this is their domain.

Small sonic grenades DETONATE, blinding anything in the shaft.

"Clear, Boss." Right Nut finally says softly as he reads the display.

The men trade glances. Does that mean it got away? Or does that mean they have to go down there?

"Shit" Jack finally says softly "Looks like we are going down."


	16. nuts

Right Nut climbs down - and one look at his face tells us he hates this gig. He reaches the twist where the shaft becomes a tunnel. Beams his light. Sees nothing. Crawls ahead to reach... A juncture. Here the tunnel splits into two passages. Right Nut points the E.L.G. down a passage and FIRES.

He checks on the gun's display-screen. He can "see" the sonic grenades detonate. They show clear tunnel.

Right Nut turns and FIRES down the other passage.

A bogey registers. It's far ahead and moving away. But it's there.

"Shit."

He deliberates - then makes the wisest decision of his young life.

"Clear, Boss. Nothing down there."

Others help him out of the shaft.

"Alright, someone get a torch. Seal this thing up tight as a 12-year-old. Left Nut, pick a dog and kill it. Then drag it around the block so they all see." The Boss demands, "Let them think we got it so everyone can calm the fuck down!"

Skin Walkers deploy. Boss turns back to Right Nut - and his face makes the Boss wonder if the tunnel really was clear.

.

.

.

"So what is it?" John asks.

"What's that?" Jamie answers as he fiddles with his gun.

"What they are dragging about like they won a feckin war or something" John points where some Skin Walkers are in the Main Hold gaining slaps to the back and cheers.

"Heard it was a rabid dog. Got loose of the kennel and was living under the cell block." The Fuel Manager, Daggs says knowingly "Not one of those Dermil things at all!"

"A dog? That comes through the shafts?" John frowned "That sound right to you, Daggs?"

"Only know what I hear."

"But do you believe what you hear?"

"I believe it's time to shit-can all these questions."

John turns to Jamie and they share a moment, and then look over where Ianto and Suzie are looking at something on the tablet.

"Ianto?"

"Toshiko has pulled up the sonic blaster feedback to check the readings he was getting. Know how he said it was clear?" Ianto replies as he swings the tablet to show the heat signature and Jack curses softly.

.

.

.

One by one, the team enters a new lower level as they move without the help of the Skin Walkers now … they now know this is down to them. All look around with the same thought. "Let's get through here fast."

John eyes the largest waterfall, fed by a conduit near the ceiling.

The adjacent wall looks climbable. He starts for it, pushing through hip-deep water. The bowels of the vessel … literally as they are now in the sewer system that is slowly filters back to fresh water again.

Silent, anxious, the others follow. Andy touches an outcropping. Bones interlace the black resin. Human bones. They are entering the burial area for those who died in the skin and are forever part of the vessel now. A creepy reminder that we all die up here.

Trailing, Jamie hears a SPLASH. He whirls to see... A footprint spreading on the water. Did something fall in? Or did something dive in?

John reaches the far side of the pool. Slips out. Waits for the others. Then starts up the wall.

Skirting the waterfall, the team climb.

Jamie keeps an eye on the water below. Nothing surfaces to give chase. Breathing a little easier, he climbs out - but we can still see the waterfall. Beneath its veil of water, a black shadow climbs.

John scales a platform at the head of the waterfall. He turns back to wait for the others, then... "Where's Jamie?"

Andy swing back "Thought he was right..."

They look back down just as... Jamie bursts through the waterfall, skewered on the claw of the Rogue Dermil. No furry little beast but a huge shiny monster. He tries to scream but can only vomit blooded water. As quickly as he appeared, Jamie vanishes.

A bone-freezing moment. Suddenly John leaps into the conduit that feeds the waterfall... and grabs the ceiling hand-grips. Jack, Suzie, Andy, Ianto come on his ass. Hand over hand, they sling over the quick-moving water, heading upstream. Ianto chances a look back to see... The Rogue Dermil.

"It's coming!" Ianto yells with horror.

Flushed with adrenaline, the team pick up the speed, hands blurring over the grips, Andy jungle-gyms past Suzie: Suzie's having trouble keeping up.

John peers ahead, how much further? How much?

The Rogue gains.

Suzie misses a grip. She breaks her fall but can only hang, arms on fire. Just when it seems she'll drop into the filthy water... Ianto catches her from behind, scissoring her in his legs.

"Hold onto me! Hold on!" Ianto yells.

Suzie twines around him. Carrying both weights now, Ianto swings onward.

John reaches a landing - and the end of the line: A downpour of water falls from an overhead shaft. The conduit terminates here.

Ianto's hands are ripped and bleeding.

Suzie slips down his body. Now her feet drag in the river, slowing them even more.

Trying to work different muscles, Ianto switches to a back-handed grab. It doesn't help.

Jack makes the landing. Looks around. Can't find… "John!"

Suddenly he's there, stepping out of the downpour. "There's a ladder! Here!"

Jack motions Andy forward and Andy plunges an arm into the water. Gropes upward. Feels the first rung. Gulps air and vanishes into the downpour. John looks back to see... The Rogue right behind Ianto and Suzie. In three seconds they'll be dead. Unless Ianto will...

"Drop her." John yells.

The Rogue's long bony back slips underwater.

"Drop her." John yells again, this time frantic as he struggles to hold Jack back now he has finally seen Ianto's dilemma.

Ianto keeps coming. Suzie keeps holding on.

"Drop her, Ianto!" Jack screams now, seeing too late what John saw.

Ianto never does. Something black rushes up from the water. In a heartbeat, they're both gone.

Jack follows them with a dive into the water as John cries out with horror.


	17. going down

Andy and John are climbing. WATER THUNDERS down - it's like showering under a thousand fire hoses.

An access hatch turns, opens. Andy falls out of the howling water. The hatch is part of a duct that runs from floor to ceiling. Moments later, John falls into the room.

They lie on the floor like docked fish, gulping air. They don't know where they are. They only know they're alive.

John makes it back to his feet. Moves to the hatch. Pushes it closed - but something blocks it open.

The Rogue's face rages at the crack.

Andy slams into the hatch, adding his weight - but still they can't close it. John looks frantically around the room, spots a skein of wire.

"The wire, the wire! Loop it around!" John yells.

Andy pushes away from the hatch and runs for the wire.

The Rogue's leg thrusts through the crack, groping for the floor. That one lethal claw like a bloody sickle is swinging closer with each thrust.

John pushes for all he's worth.

The arm sweeps around the hatch, swiping blindly. John ducks, dodges, holds his ground as he yells at Andy to hurry the fuck up.

Piece by piece, the Rogue begins extruding through the foot-wide crack, plates and ribs unhinged. John is losing the battle - and maybe the war.

The hatch explodes open. John flies back.

The Rogue surges into the room and snaps together with a body-flex. John turns to run... And finds a flame-thrower staring at him.

He ducks as Jack pulls the trigger. FLAME ROARS right over John's head... Engulfing the Rogue.

Ianto appears with a worse for wear Suzie, opening fire with chattering stitch rifles and concussion grenades. Blinding flashes. Streaming trails of phosphorous. Flaming acid.

John hits the deck and covers Andy as they both ball up.

Burning needles stitch across the Rogue's neck, severing the head from body. Impossibly, it stays on its feet.

Finally the headless Rogue falls.

The guns go quiet. A long smoky beat. This was, very simply, one of the most hellacious fire fights we've ever seen. The room has been blasted into another time zone.

John un-balls and looks. The Rogue Alien lies dead. It's over. The nightmare is over.

Suddenly the floor caves in... crash-landing John into the room below. Shaking off unconsciousness, he sees... Skin Walkers. All dead. All torn apart in the most hideous fashion imaginable. And now John realizes that, no, the nightmare isn't over. In fact it's just begun.

.

.

.

"How the hell did you get out of that mess?" Andy asks.

"Ianto was still holding Suzie, wouldn't let her go and the adult Dermil was struggling with him. I placed my Webley against it's head and pulled the trigger."

"You're kidding? That sidepiece actually works? I thought it was purely ceremonial" Andy shakes his head then motions "Come on. Let's keep going. John's waiting down there."

The rest of the team drops through the hole, following John with haste and he motions for them to freeze as a Dermil, burrowing its head into the belly of the Skin Walker, stops.

Looks up.

Everyone watches as the creature senses them. The Dermil hisses. Rears back.

John looks away, contemplative. We see a gamut of emotions cross his face, but his posture passive, sacrificial. He does not move.

Everyone watches, too afraid to breathe.

The Dermil lunges at him, leaping across the room in two bounds. It's on him - and he spins, swinging his Katana and it flies to one side for the impact of the blade.

It lands in a tangle but is up again in a microsecond, jumps at him, knocks him back into the room, on him, its claws digging into his skin, piston tongue at him face, inches away.

He locks an arm around its slick, long head and pulls back we hear its tendons strain, snap.

"Shoot it! Shoot it!" Jack yells.

Ianto grabs a flame thrown and burns it. Screams fill the room as it briefly disentangles from John, the two of them thrown apart.

The beast recovers first, dodging the next blast and going for Ianto as John hits the Dermil again, John's momentum sends them over a railing and they fall twenty feet- the Dermil lands with a spine snapping crunch, John only slightly better.

A few crew members rush to look over the railing. Jack starts down the spiral staircase to that level.

The creature rolls back onto John, grabbing him with its dying strength.

A scream wells up in his throat. A totally animal kill-shriek that he screams, victorious, as he rips the Dermil's head clean off its damned neck.

"What the FUCK is going on here?" Suzie finally asks "Why are these things attacking us? I thought there was just the one. We killed on in the water… here is another… what the fuck! These are fully grown, furless bastards!"

How many are there?


	18. plan on the run

"And there are others. How many?" Suzie demands.

The Skin Walkers look around, almost guiltily. "Thirty. Last count, there were thirty of them in the bowels."

"Thirty! We are fucked in our pink bottoms if there's thirty of those things." John spluttered as he looked around with annoyance.

"There'll be more." Ianto says and everyone looks around at him. He is squatting in the corner facing away from them. "They'll breed. In a few hours there'll be twice that number."

"Well… I bags not to be the one who tells the Collective we have an infestation" John said with a huff.

.

.

.

A hatch opens. Ianto drops down, surveys the scene. Quiet dark, empty.

Ianto comes up, Andy behind him. Ianto sniffs, listens. Closes his eyes. After a beat he starts further in and Andy motions for others to follow.

Slowly, they make their way down the corridor. Ianto, Andy, Jack, and Suzie guns drawn.

Bringing up the rear is John, toting a shotgun with one hand... He turn slowly, alert, and we see that his Katana is still in one hand.

Ianto looks down. The floor here is covered with a foot or so of dark water.

Ianto steps into it, moves up a few paces. The others gingerly follow. A fiant tinge of Sulphur is in the air.

John is facing the back. He looks up. "The cooling tanks. They must have blown during the trouble."

We see the round underbelly of two huge tanks. There are gaping, twisted holes in them. "The nasties couldn't have done it, could they?"

Jack is at the front with Ianto and Andy, where the water is waste deep. He looks down at a stairwell, just the top of the railing visible above the murky water.

There's no other way?

"We're at the bottom of the ship. Some of the worst damage is down here." Ianto sighs softly "Most of the sections are sealed off. Great… more swimming in sludge."

"You're sure?" Suzie whines, the memory of the last attack underwater still fresh in her mind and if not the Ianto's help she would have been a gonner.

"There's the inner hull's entrance back there, but it's flooded too, and it's a longer run." Andy points back in another direction as Jack waits for Ianto to consider things. He is the one in charge now.

"He's right. We're gonna have to do it this way." Andy nods.

"You're already too wet, partner" Jack finally agrees.

"Oh yeah."

"You sure about the distance?" Jack asks Andy.

"Yes."

"No locked doors?"

"It's an open hall. Just keep left when you hit the bottom of the staircase." Ianto says, his edidic memory their map now.

"This sucks." John mutters to himself. He flips caps over the barrel of the gun, slides a panel over the digital readout. "Ready to go, hull still watertight and space tight."

"Do I have to tell everyone to take a deep breath?" Andy asks.

A couple of the guys smile. He counts down, they suck in enormous breaths - and dive right behind Jack and Ianto.

One by one the entire crew slips down into the black water.

.

.

.

It's all underwater. Visibility is poor. The crew move swiftly and gracefully down the stairs and into the bottom ballasts. In here it's a tad labyrinthine, and the size of the room it darker. Andy heads straight for the other end.

They swim. Safety is a good fifty feet away.

They are tense, concentrated. Swimming past dark spaces. Anything could be hiding here. John looks about him, very nervous. Dark spaces. He looks behind.

Three Dermils are right behind him.

Panic blows half the air out of his mouth as he swings around and fires at them, tags one as the other two swim off into shadows with horrible ease.

Ianto, all the way to the stairs, sees. He hurries the others past him. They swim frantically for safety, Jack Andy, John and Suzie.

Jack fires in that direction, John bringing up the rear still firing at the third one, wounding it but not scoring kill shot.

Andy is swimming up the staircase, the growing light above indicating the surface.

Ianto looks back as the last of the crew is passing him, Dermils close behind.

Most of the crew has gotten up out of the water. John holding a Dermil inches from his face, others screaming, taking a bead on it. "Get it! Kill it!"

"The flame'll burn you! Throw it!" He does, and Jack nails it in midflight.

"OK… now I'm pissed" Jack snarls.

.

.

"So… as you can see, there is immense heat hear the trash Shute" Toshiko was showing them on the screen as Jack reached out to pull Ianto to him, still shaken by not only the near miss but the power this man exudes under pressure.

Clearly he was born to be a leader.

Jack kissed his neck as they watched Toshiko show them a possible place to hunt. Since their frantic coupling before agreeing to this mission they had also agreed that rank did not matter. If one said run, they would both run. Clearly, Jack had failed to add 'or let go if told to' to this one. Mind, Suzie was grateful.

"Hive… a hive? Then… must be a queen right?" John finally speaks "We pinch her... will they follow us?"

"Where to?" Jack asks as he now holds Ianto against him possessively, hands crossed over Ianto's heart.

Ianto is the one who answers "The Torchwood."

* * *


	19. like capture the flag?

"So, we risk the entire vessel, or we risk our planet jumper" Ianto finishes explaining to the Collective watching him with the same wary look of vultures "If we can entice them off this ship, we win. If we have to abandon ship the planet our lifepods land on will be overrun by these within days anyway."

"Agreed"

.

.

"Up here." John takes off, the others following. "Up through the lift shaft!"

He stops at a pair of sliding doors, starts working the panel. Jack comes up to the doors and they pull them apart with a grunt.

"Company!" Ianto warns. He's referring to the noise and shadow of approaching Dermils.

He herds them into the shaft.

It goes down about four stories, and up seemingly forever... Enough room for three elevators, one of which is two stories below.

"UP!" Ianto barks. He starts climbing. It's not that hard - there are ladders in each shaft section.

Jack comes up behind him. John and others pair off on other ladders.

They climb fast, they're three stories up before the Dermils begin pounding on the metal door to the level they are passing, and it buckles under their might.

"Move!"

"Not far!"

Still POUNDING - one Dermil gets its head in, looks up, hisses, pulls it out.

John comes to a crawlspace ledge. He climbs on. Set back a few feet from the shaft is a small maintenance access door. Works the keypad beside it as Jack climbs up behind him.

The Dermils SMASH through the door, one of them SAILING across the shaft to grab a pipe on the other side. Instantly four of them are swarming up the walls, moving much faster on pipes and ridges than the humans on ladders.

On one of the smaller Dermils crawls, constantly moving about on the adult Dermil's head like a frightened spider. They were right. Must be a queen … must be breeders.

"Hurry!" Jack yells, reaching for Ianto who is too far over on the ledge for his liking.

"It's jammed! Shit! Gun!" John snarls. Jack hands him a gun and without hesitation he shoots the lock.

The Dermils are getting closer.

Jack is furious, maybe surprised just how so. Suddenly a Dermil rises over the ledge, it's not three feet away from them and he roars, hurling a piece of debris at it and it goes flying off into space, it hits the wall on the other side, then falls.

Another Dermil is fast approaching Suzie and Andy. Andy frantically tries to reload. "It's on us!"

"We gotta go!" Jack yells, the large female on Ianto's scanner moving as she wakes from the nerve gas they used to knock her out.

The last Dermil suddenly starts scurrying back down after his brothers.

The team moved feverishly to reach the big bitch they need to play Pied Piper with these bugs.


	20. fly it like ya stole it

Ianto knows this is not fun, not for any of them but as they approach the major heat source they know the Queen is there somewhere, the sound of running water almost deafening. They enter a large dark cell with undulating walls.

Then the Dermils stop moving, the place goes silent. They see now that what they thought was a darkened cell is actually a room full of the damned things. Like a hive covered in big nasty killer bees. The queen must be in there, eggs litter the place and the larger shiny pearly white ones all hold future queens. The next hives that will splinter from this main one once big enough to conquer many places at once. Ianto notices one larger than the rest, a huge pale pink one, like he has never seen before.

"Shit" John says calmly "Suggestions?"

"Er… run?" someone says meekly and they all spin, running from the things that seem to come from the ceiling. The only one to hesitate is Ianto who knows they need that Queen. This is what they are here for… right?

The team are making for the Torchwood, panting with exertion as they make little noises of alarm. They are moving fast and can see in the distance like a big beautiful whale… the Torchwood…. as the klaxons scream and people run for the life pods, preparing to evac the mother ship if this all goes wrong. Ianto and Jack know the school room itself if a life pod so the kids will be safe and together, unaware of the danger unless it becomes real.

They pour into the vessel and Jack races for the pilot's seat, yelling at John to get the ramp up as he struggles with the seat straps.

"Jack?" Toshiko says softly "Where is Ianto?"

Everyone freezes.

"There... what the hell is he carrying?" John says, looking out the still open airlock.

"What is it?" Jack swings to look back.

"It's Ianto! Ianto's got a fucking egg!" John yelps slapping the button to close the airlock as he sees something else.

In the cockpit, Jack nearly goes white. "Help him in!"

"Fuck no! There's something else out there with him!"

"One of them." Suzie agrees.

John looks at the image, realizes how massive the Queen is. Awed fear creeps into his voice "Now you don't see that every day. It's something else."

Frustrated, Jack jumps out of his seat... Suzie fights to control the ship's start up sequences as he climbs down toward the hatch.

"Goddamn it, Jack!" Suzie yells "John! Someone! Help me fly this fucking bitch!"

John grabs Jack, practically throws him at the monitor. "Look at that fucking thing! We can't open up!"

They both tumble as the ship jerks.

Ianto Is bucked off the rising ramp as the Queen leaps at him and smashes him against the ship, Ianto is trying to shake her … he grabs an external grate and starts climbing painfully away.

Jack pushes John aside as he makes for the hatch release sequence.

Suzie is yelling as they start to move along towards the exit as the walls to zoom dangerously close. In the screens that look back behind them they can see Dermils rampaging like a bloody stampede, trying to catch their Queen who is only interested in her egg.

The hatch reopens nearby, the door sliding slowly beast is torn between Ianto and this new distraction - Ianto sees it too, starts climbing for it, one eye on the Queen.

The beast makes for the doorway - and Jack pops halfway out pointing a grenade launcher at the thing... he BLASTS it once, the beast roaring and starting back, hurt but not nearly enough. Jack fires again but the ship's rocking sends the shot wild. Jack flies back for all of a second and the beast rears to attack but Ianto is at the hatch - Jack drags him in and closes the hatch, the beast just SLAMMING in it as it closes.

Ianto is hanging on Jack, exhausted.

Another BANG on the hatch, and they can see the door starting to give.

"Jack! NOW!" Suzie screams.

Jack and Ianto head into the cockpit. John continues looking at the vidscreen at the beast.

They are in space now, flying like the hounds of hell are after them and I guess in the end… they sort of are right? They speed for the planet below, focused on their audience as Jack finally has control of the bird, Ianto fiddling with the controls for the mechanical Bots. Dermils flow from the mother ship like rats from a sinking ship as they follow their queen. As hoped, the Hive Mind is pulling them off the ship and after the Torchwood.

"We can't to do a vertical set down! Braking systems are shot!" John yells as he checks the controls for Jack.

"Find me a patch of land! I'll put her down." Jack yells from the pilot's seat by Suzie. He pulls up hard on the wheel, but the ship is still dangerously close to the ground.

"That thing isn't going anywhere!" John checks the screen for the Queen again, she is still hanging on outside on the ramps outer hooks as the Dermils slam into the ground below. Little meteors of doom.

"John, strap in! We're coming down hard!" Suzie yells as she checks and finds him the only one not already strapped in, Ianto hugging the egg like it is spun gold.

Torchwood approaches the rough, wooded terrain, just above the trees. Hits a relatively clear patch, touches down - bounces back up and then down again.

Jack is fighting the wheel - he can't pull it up hard enough.

The ship blasts through trees. The Queen moves to the back of the ship to avoid debris.

"That thing's gone back behind the thrusters!" John yells.

Jack and Ianto look at each other.

"Hit it." Ianto says calmly.

Jack throws on the thrusters, the ship ROCKETS forward The Queen is engulfed in flame, losing its grip - Going too fast - Jack can't control it

"Kill thrust! Now!" Ianto barks.

Jack does.

Skids, skids, throwing up enormous debris. It hits another wooded area.

The Torchwood mows down a half acre of trees before finally grinding to a halt.

As soon as they've recovered, Jack throws off his seatbelt. "Is everybody all right?"

"Where're you going?" Ianto asks with alarm.

Jack opens the hatch.

"To make sure that thing is really dead"


	21. boom shaka-laka

A giant face lunges down at Jack, piston tongue shooting out. It has charred black skin - in some places that skin has fallen off and wet pink flesh shows through. No furry thing here… pure demon now. Jack drops to the floor, the tongue just missing him. John scrambles for his gun as Ianto drags Jack out of the way. As quickly as it came, the head lurches back out.

"I think it's gone!" John panted, eyes wild.

"No, it's waiting for us to come out!" Suzie snarls.

"Can we fly?" John asks calmly.

"We can't even fucking crawl with the engine like that!"

"It's gone." Ianto finally says.

Jack looks at him. "Are you sure?"

"Good!" John laughs maniacally "Great!"

"No..." Jack grabs a grenade launcher. "I've got to stop it."

He heads for the door but Ianto is on his way. They exchange a look. "You'll never catch it. Not with a bung knee and one eye Cariad."

Jack tosses him the grenade launcher.

The ship sits silent in the woods, the trees around heavy with snow. Suzie and John are working on the controls as the Spark sits silently in the back dock, the egg in its belly as their little pot of gold.

Ianto comes out down the ramp. He looks around him, sees the tracks in the snow. Huge, loping. He jumps down off the ship.

And runs.

Through the blur of trees, he moves with the grace and speed of an animal, leaping from boulders, racing through the powdered brush this is Ianto at peak speed, and it is something to see. The spliced DNA of his genetic modifications are now evident as he starts going up with hands as well as feet, the way getting steeper and rockier, until he reaches a cliff face, and looks out on an alien city.

Sprawling, huge, a million tiny lights cutting through the darkness it's just before the horizon. Shit, it's populated.

The Queen rises in front of Ianto, strikes him before he has a chance to aim his weapon.

Its clawed tail cuts deeply into him, sends him flying.

The beast is on him in a second, its enormous jaws missing his head by an inch as he rolls, grabs the grenade launcher, FIRES. The beast is thrown, but just grazed, back on him as he tries to get off another shot, it SLAMS a foot down RIGHT ON him as he screams Jack's name, the launcher rolls free, the beast coming in for the kill and over the ridge flies the Spark, Jack at the controls. Aiming right for the Queen.

It rears up to see it just as Jack RAMS it into the creature's head, it knocks it on its ass, the Spark shaking but not quite spinning out, as Jack comes around for another shot.

Ianto scrambles to safety as the Queen prepares for the oncoming Spark, it whips its tail at it but Jack swerves at the last second - The monster spins with it, screaming, sees Ianto and slashes at him. KNOCKS HIM OFF THE CLIFF – Ianto falls, grabs brush it snaps - he starts sliding down rock face and he takes his hands, SLAMS his fingers into the smooth rock face like a pick axe - it rips his nails bloody but he digs out purchase. He snarls as his nails dig in, like claws. "I'm OK Cariad."

Spark slams into the Queen from behind, the egg nearly thrown out of the Spark, the Queen spins and grabs at it, Jack throws the Spark into reverse but the Queen is too strong, holds on, bringing its head up to face Jack.

Bloody and torn, Ianto climbs back to the top of the cliff.

The Queen swings the Spark into a tree, Jack nearly knocked loose again. The monster is jolted as well.

"let's go Bitch" Jack pilots the machine back through the trees, the alien watching it, growling - Jack flies deftly through the trees, away, away, then spins out, heads back for the beast at top speed, the wind roars as he closes.

The Queen spins and Jack SLAMS into it, it goes flying, screaming in pain, the Spark bouncing off it, flipping over, CRASHING against the trees and landing tilted upside down, Jack unconscious between it and the ground.

The Queen shudders, rises, makes for the Spark - it is clearly pissed.

Ianto pulls himself over the ridge, sees the situation, and rushes toward them.

Jack awakens to see the monster approaching the machine. Terrified, but determined, he reaches for a lever.

"No! Over here!" calling out to distract it, Ianto runs, waving his arms.

"Ianto! Let it come! Let it come!" Terror runs through his voice as he strains for the hammer he can see near the teetering egg. God, not Ianto. Take me you bitch, not him.

The beast is torn, and for a moment doesn't move.

Ianto looks over to where Jack is, and understanding blooms on his face as he senses Jack's intention.

He looks around and spots: THE GRENADE LAUNCHER Halfway between him and the Queen.

For a moment neither of them moves. Then Ianto RUNS, the Queen comes at him with equal speed, like they're playing chicken, Ianto DIVES at the ground, rolls, comes up holding the grenade launcher, and he FIRES!

The Queen is hit up close and dead centre this time, and it rears back, screaming - Ianto FIRES and FIRES, driving it back toward the upended Spark.

The alien rears up to its full height, and Ianto pulls the trigger.

There is a hollow click.

Jack swings the hammer as the Dermil Queen swings in time to see her precious royal baby die. She screams with rage.

Furious, Ianto stares a moment at the beast. A SCREAM wells up in his throat and he THROWS himself at it, leaping impossibly high, smashing into it and sending both of them tumbling onto the Spark.

Jack pulls the ignition lever.

In an instant the machine roars to life, a thousand degrees of heat as the engine is grinding to top speed, pulverizing the beast, consuming it, sucking it down as layer upon layer of alien flesh is chopped into mess and BBQ.

And it SHRIEKS, a noise unheard before, as it thrashes frantically.

Ianto tries to pull himself off it before the heat get too close - but the beast grabs him, holds him. The heat ever closer as he struggles with it.

"IANTO!"

Galvanized by the cry, Ianto tears himself out of the beast's dying grasp, flips backwards off the Spark as it begins to smoke and spark, fire eating through the controls.

Ianto wriggles his way under, and, wrenches Jack free. He drags him out.

A section of the Spark explodes, raining fire and debris or the dying alien.

Jack lies on the ground, Ianto behind him, arms wrapped tight around him.

Covered in blood and grime, the two watch the alien go up in flames, breathing hard, holding each other as if their lives depended on it still.

"Wow" Ianto finally says softly "no more Queen... the Dermils will be grounded in chaos for months fighting over a new Queen while we escape."

Both men look over at the Bot that has kept up with them the entire time, the camera feed showing their team where to extract them. Safe, live and….

…. Kissing.


	22. shiny

Their medals were shiny, hastily made and larger than their others as the men stood with them on their chest.

Suzie and Toshiko were receiving theirs as little Thomas broke from his sister's grasp and ran across the floor to hug Daddy, Jack breaking protocol by bending down and picking him up to pop on his hip, well aware of the eyes on them while Ianto clucked and calmed the overwrought child.

Ianto's face bore the battle scars, as did everyone else's. Jack's split lip and slight limp form his protesting knee also reminded people that this team had just fought for their safety and a round of cheers started, followed by applause as they bowed.

"I don't know about you, but I am dying for a wash and bed" Ianto said though his gritted smile.

"Sounds good too, my Tiger" Jack replied, waving as his daughter now broke her resolve and followed her brother over to squeeze between her parents and look out proudly at the crowd, especially those two girls in her class that were mean. Let them be mean now without being good citizens.

"I'm hungry" Thomas declared loudly and everyone awed as Jack kissed his son and they headed to the dining room.

_Ianto recalled their debrief where they had been asked their recommendation now and Owen had answered before anyone else, quoting a line from Ripley "_ _I say we take off, nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."_

The large vid-screen that filled the entire wall of the dining room was on standby and as everyone sat for a feast they also watched as the photon blasters fired back at the planet to set off the charges, sending its inhabitants to their makers. The small alien settlement was also on board happy to head off to another planet as this one had actually not been the Mecca they had been promised and now as they watched it implode on itself Ianto whispered "It's going supernova."

"Shit. Must have been more work down in the mines then we thought with those bloody things" John snorted as everyone watched it shine, glow and Ianto felt the large turbines turn, the pistons roll as the Vessel flew at warp seed away from the creation of a new star.

It ws kind of beautiful. And deadly.

"By this time tomorrow there will be a new star in the heavens" Jack said softly to his daughter, stroking her hair. "What do you want to call it?"

"Christmas!" she answered, her favorite time of the Boeshane year almost upon them.

Everyone laughed as the Collective nodded and agreed amongst themselves that the least they could do was let the innocent child of their protectors and new fellow council members name the new star they had created.

And so… a Christmas star is born.

"Speaking of Christmas" Jack said as he settled back "Are we gonna go to the Seville Rells?"

"Gods, if it's not the Ninth Rell" John grimaced "that was horrible last year."

"Well… with this colony of Regulati to re-home now we nuked their planet I think we might be able to wangle the outer rim's smaller blue planet if the Royals allow it, after all, it is due for population and this species is known for terra-forming" Ianto said as he stirred his drink and all eyes turned to him with shock.

"Well now, a good suggestion there First…. Well… Your highness" a member of the Collective said with glee "If we are going to your home planets, we might get a taste of your milk plant?"

Ianto laughed softly as he leaned back to look at the old man, clearly Catkind "I know Melvin. It's been years since you have tasted the fresh flesh of one. Maybe. If my parentals are up to the shock of meeting their new family… mehaps you shall."

"Ah… lovely." The old Kat smacked his lips as John stared at Ianto long and hard.

"You are… you are a Jones"

"Never hid it" Ianto replied with surprise, "Is my waistcoat not lined with the royal purple of my people? The little red dragon pin on my lapel?"

Jack started to roar with laughter as it was finally revealed that his mate was one of the many young princes of the High Borne Royal Family of the Outer Rim's Welsh Planet.

Well, well, well.

Merry Christmas indeed.

"And that's another thing" Owen suddenly said, bursting into the conversation "You know… I am an empath too and you two… god. I am glad you shield from your kids!"

More laughter now as Ianto shrugged and leaned over to accept a kiss from Jack.

Merry Christmas.

.

..

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Thanks for reading.


End file.
